Detroit Lions lose 52 points on “off day”. This team is special

The Detroit Lions won by 38 points on Sunday. And they weren't particularly spicy.

It's ridiculous to say, I know, but football is like that, right? And that's exactly what teams that are starting to look special do.

Look at the final score – 52-14 – and you would think that a team dominated in the trenches or had record-breaking performances from a running back or a quarterback.

SEIDEL ABOUT LIONS: The Detroit Lions' lack of a pass rush is a major detriment to great performance

In fact, the Lions made history against the Tennessee Titans. They started four drives inside an opponent's 25-yard line in the first half. According to ESPN, this hasn't happened since 2002.

The good field position was supported by a kick return, a punt return and two interceptions. Aside from an impressive 70-yard touchdown run from Jahmyr Gibbs, the regular offense struggled to find much rhythm in the first half.

Again, this sounds like crazy talk, but look at the numbers: The Lions only had 225 total yards, but at halftime they had more points (35) than Jared Goff had passing yards (28). And while the rush yards were impressive – 124 yards at halftime – 70 of them came on the Gibbs run.

What a run it was, by the way. Dan Campbell had been saying for weeks that Gibbs was close to bringing one into the house. That he needed one more block or one more cut and he would be gone.

Late in the first lap, Gibbs got the block on the left side of the line, slipped through the gap between Taylor Decker and Graham Glasgow, landed on the sideline, hit the gas and was gone.

And while explosiveness is crucial to this offense, what makes it special is the combination of physicality and precision that beat Minnesota on the road a week ago. The Lions had half the combo to start, running behind David Montgomery and Gibbs.

But the Titans messed up Goff's timing and often pressured him. He was sacked on the first play of the game. Hit from behind by Arden Key, who flies past Decker. A few series later, Key beat Decker again and defeated Goff.

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Defensively, Mason Rudolph got the Lions' defense going. Wait, Mason, who? Yes, that's right, the Titans' backup threw for 221 yards… in the first half. Calvin Ridley, who came into the game with 186 receiving yards in six games, had 118 yards in the first quarter.

Mason and Calvin?

Even Joe Montana and Jerry Rice didn't look like that. Or Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison if you want an example from this century.

Rudolph had plenty of time to throw, and when the Lions got some pressure, Ridley sat in gaping holes in the Lions' zone. At times the pair scored against solid defense.

Still, Tennessee scored 14 points in the first half and ended the half with four unsuccessful plays from the Lions' 1-yard line. So I suspect there is a goal line stand. Oddly, it felt important considering how the Titans had moved the ball in the first half; It helped that Tennessee's coaches thought it would be a good idea to throw four straight out of the one.

Hey, take what you can get in this league, right?

Even the worst teams can have good days, and the good teams can have off days, and when the good teams have strangely good days despite having a bad day?

Something has to happen. Or maybe not. Maybe the Lions' special teams are great and the Titans' special teams aren't, and when Kalif Raymond kept hitting punts in Titans territory, it was a matter of time before he broke free into the end zone – he had 195 total yards in the End zone return play.

He did it with a 90-yarder that opened the scoring in the second half. That made it 42-14 and the Lions had less than 200 yards of offense.

How do you understand that?

Well, again the turnovers – the Titans four – can be partly explained. And special teams. Oh, and trick games or just clever games.

It's one thing for Montgomery to take a pitch from Goff, stop running, field it and throw a perfect spiral to Sam LaPorta – he shot the ball back and forth between two defenders, thank you very much – for a touchdown. It's another thing for Goff to take the snap, drop back, face one direction, wait for the receiver to change direction, and then hit that receiver for a 7-yard touchdown.

By the way, Raymond caught that pass. There was no one within ten meters of him. That said, when it mattered most, the Lions were as smart as they needed to be, and Ben Johnson made sure Tennessee's defensive coordinator tried to hold his breath.

Special teams and turnovers can create a mirage, yes, and make us think that a score of 52-14 wasn't quite right. Goff threw for a total of 85 yards, his lowest throw of the season – by far. And for a while, the Lions struggled to get him a relatively clean pocket.

GAME STORY: The Detroit Lions defeated the Tennessee Titans 52:14 and secured their fifth win in a row

But in the end the Lions didn't need it, and that's also a sign of a special team. Win however you can. That's the mantra in this league.

If the defense is a little shaky and the offense is a little out of sync, run the ball back with special teams or create a turnover. Or both.

And when the opportunity presents itself, take advantage of it. Make a trick play. Or run a traditional one. Johnson and Goff and the Lions' offense did both, nearly setting a franchise scoring record.

Fifty-two points on a bad day?

Yes, something is happening. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Contact Shawn Windsor: [email protected]. Follow him @shawnwindsor.

Detroit Lions lose 52 points on “off day”. This team is special

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